Smith: Lakatos embraces Southern lifestyle

He grew up in Dover, N.J., only an hour or so from midtown Manhattan and has spent his life in the East - but when the South beckoned, he was eager to change addresses.

So was his family.

"My son Cole couldn't wait to put on his Georgia stuff and wear it to school," Lakatos said. "My family is excited about the Bulldogs."

The accent and the background may be different, but what we have here is an energetic American clan where the traditions underscored were family values and education.

Growing up, Scott was expected to do well in school and always had chores at home.

Everybody was expected to pitch in. If he wanted something special - like a bicycle - he had to find a job and work until he could pay for it.

His father was a lineman for the power company, and to help out the family budget, he had a landscaping business on the side.

Bill Lakatos tried to pass on the importance of the work ethic to his children.

He was happy to see Scott take to sports and was a big sports fan himself.

Scott's wife, Amanda, has always worked - managing the home and teaching (kindergarten and elementary grades). Her teaching influence has caused her to stress the importance of reading to her offspring, Cole and Sarah Bailey.

When it comes to sports, geography often dictates options.

A native Georgian might have access to the Masters, for example.

With Lakatos, he got a sixth grade excursion into "the City" to see the Yankees play at Yankee stadium. He grew up a Yankees fan, and that was a big deal, like a kid from Dublin getting to see a round of golf at Augusta.

While you might think the weather would be a deterrent, Scott comes from a family (on his father's side), which can be described as avid outdoor aficionados.

His paternal grandfather used to duck hunt where The Meadowlands stadium was built.

What we take for granted as being commonplace - heated rivalries in Southeastern Conference football - Scott wanted to be a part of.

He knows what big-time football is like, having coached at Syracuse and Connecticut, but he opted for what he thinks is the best competition.

"When you observe what is going on in football, you notice how big the game is in the Southeastern Conference," Scott said. "You always see that tradition and packed stands at every campus. It makes you appreciate how serious the game is to people in this part of the country."

Scott played football at Western Connecticut. After his undergraduate years, he wanted to coach, and a turning point came when he visited Virginia Tech and came to know Todd Grantham.

"After that, wherever Todd went, I kept up with him and always tried to visit him. Football is a learning experience, and Todd has always been exposed to some outstanding coaches.."